Photographing mind-blowing pictures of birds in flight is the dream for many Bird photographers. It requires a proper technique, patience, and practice. You would have seen many photos of birds in flight. Out of which, some photographs are amazing. Let us have a look at some of the tips to take stunning shots of flying birds.

The Right Camera Gear

The first question would be, what camera gear to use? You can make use of any camera that has a good reach. I recommend using a DSLR camera or a mirrorless camera. It can be a Full Frame camera or an APS-C camera body.

To get a good reach, try to use a telephoto lens of focal length 400mm and above. You can use a Prime lens or Zoom lens It will also ensure that you can photograph the bird in action at a comfortable distance. In bird photography, you need to ensure that the bird is not getting disturbed with your presence. So, always maintain a distance.

Importance of Eye Contact

In all the types of photography, getting eye contact of the subject is very important. The photo becomes more exciting and catchy when you get the eye contact. So, while photographing birds in flight, make sure that you press the shutter button only when you get the eye contact of the bird through the viewfinder. Also, ensure that there is a right amount of light falling on the Bird's eye.

The Right Shutter Speed

You should set the right shutter speed to freeze the bird in flight. What Shutter Speed to use? It is dependent on the bird species. It is related to the number of wing flaps per second. So, for an eagle, you can quickly freeze it at a shutter speed of 1/500th of a second and above. For a hummingbird, you will have to go to 1/3200th of a second. So, you should have a good knowledge of the bird species which you are going to photograph. It will help you to select the correct shutter speed.

Even if you are getting the image underexposed because of the lighting conditions, go ahead with the capture. Make sure that you capture it in RAW format so that you can increase the exposure later while post-processing.

The Right Background

Many of the flight shots would have looked uninteresting, even though the bird species photographed is a rare one. Do you know Why? When it comes to bird photography, it is not the bird alone that matters. You need to take care of the background and other elements in the scene.

If you are photographing a flying falcon against the sky, then you will end up in a photograph with a white background. If you capture the same falcon, when it is flying with a lush green forest in the backdrop then you will get a flight shot of the falcon with a green background. Which would be more pleasing to the eyes, one with white background or the green one? The green one. So, you need to make sure that you capture the flight shot with nice background elements also.

So, follow these techniques when you are photographing birds in flight next time to get the best results. It doesn't matter even if you fail initially. Practice more to master the technique.

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